Rotary engine.



No 811,747. PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906.

W. J. ROWE sin A. L. WITBEOK.

RUTARY ENGINE.

. LPPLIUATIDN FILED MARJ, 1904.

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\VILLIAM J. ROWE AND AREA L.

PATENT OFFICE.

WITBEUK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

Application filed March 3, 196*;- Serial No. 196,334.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM J. Rowe and AREA L. WITBEoK, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in itotar Engines, of which the following is a full, 0 car, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of the invention is to make a simple, efficient, and durable rotary an be capable of running forward orbackwar at different speeds.

The invention resides in the novel combi nations of parts which contribute to the attainment of these results, substantially as shown in the drawings and hereinafter described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central sectional front elevation of the engine' Fig. 2 is a right-end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 1s a sectional end view in the plane of line 3- 3 of Fig. 1, the piston and abutment being unsectioned. Fi 4 is a front view. Fig. 5 is a side view, part y in section, in the plane indicated by lme 5 5 on Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a rear view, partly in section, in the plane indicated b line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fl 7 is a sectional Fran view in the plane of inc 7 7 of Fig. 5.

igs. 8, 9, and 10 are three transverse sectional views of the rotary cutofl, the views being taken in planes corresponding with lines 8, 9, and 10 in F' ll; and Fig. 11 is a development of the sai rotary cut-off.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the engine casing or frame, which consists of two princi a] parts a a, which are bolted together. ithin the casing and between these parts thereof are two intersecting cylindrical recesses B and C. The recess B is the piston-chamber, and it contains the cylindrical piston D. This piston is attached to the main driving-shaft F, which is mounted in and extends out at one or both ends through the casin The iston is of less diameter than the c mber wherefore there is within said chamber and around the piston an annular steam-s ace 2:. A iston-blade (2, attached to the piston, exten s across and is fitted to this annular steam-s ace.

Within the cylindrical eham or C is a rotatingizlylindrical abutment E, attached to a shaft out at one or both ends from the casing. The abutment-cylinder E is slightly wider than which is mounted in and projects the piston-cylinder B, and these two cylinders are of the same diameter and their peripheries are in contact. A recess e is formed in the eripher of the abutment, and it is of such s ape an width that the piston-blade 2, as the iston and abutment are rotating, enters and substantially brid es said recess. Attached to the shafts F and ii are the gears f and h, which are of the same size and mesh to ether, so that the piston and the abutment wi i rotate at the same speed.

Through one end of the engine-casing are two inlet-ports K K, which are located on opposite sides of what might be called the ead-centerthat is to say, the point at which the peripheries of the abutment and piston-cylinders contact.

ead to the annular steam-space. Directly in the line with them, but through the oppo sit? end of the casing, are two exhaust-ports J In the casing is a cylindrical recess L, with which the outer ends of the inlet orts enga e. In this recess is a cylindrics. tubular va ve M, having one end closed. In this valve are two ports m and 'm, which are formed through opposite sides thereof, but one of these ports is in line with the inlet-port K and the other is in line with the inlet-port K The stem m" of the valve extends out of the casing.

In the casing on the opposite side'of the piston is another 0 lindrical recess Q, containing a similar V vs N, having in opposite sides thereof the ports a and a, which are adapted to communicate with the outletports J and J respectively. The stem of of this valve also extends out of the casing. To these valve-stems m and a operating-arms m and n are respectively secured, and both of these arms are connected together by a bar V, to which power ma be applied-as, for example, through the ever Vto o erate them both simultaneously, and there ore to turn said valves M and N. These valves are the reversing-valves, and they may also. be used as throttle-valves.

. Steam is admitted through port a to a cylindrical cut-oil chamber R in the casin which cut-off chamber communicates wit the hollow valve M through a port S. Within the cut-0E chamber is a cylindrical cut-off valve T. It is hollow and has openings t through both ends thereof, so t at when steam is admitted to said chamber it will press equally against both ends of the valve These inlet-ports cut-ofl' T is movable endwise in the chamber R, the means for so moving it consisting of a stem t attached to the cut-off valve which passes axially through the stem 2!; but the latter stem is not movable endwise in its bearings, but has a tongue-and-groove connec tion with the stem i", so that by drawing upon the stem t cut-off T is moved endwise, as stated, without disturbing the operative connection between the cut-off valve and the gear f. ment of this cut-off cylinder the holes 15 through its walls extend different distances around the cylinder at different parts of its length; but all start from a common line t (see Fi s. 8 to 11,) parallel with the axis. When t e engine is in o eration running forward, steam is admitte to port S and thence to the steam-space I) immediately the pistonblade has passed the inlet-port. When the cut-off valve T is in the position shown in Fig. 7, the steam will be cut off when the piston has made about one-third of its revolution. By moving the valve T to the right, as shown in Fig. 6, one may prolong the time during which steam is admitted, so that it may be admitted during substantiall the entire time that the blade is traveling om the inlet to the exhaust port. When the engine is being run backward, the cut-off is not practically susceptible of the same variation, because the movement of the cut-off does not then vary the time when steam is cut off, but the time when it is allowed to flow through ort S. This cut-off may be moved endwise y means of a forked lever having slots which receive pins on a collar which embraces the stem t It is incapable of moving endwise thereon, while permitting the stem to rotate within it.

In the iston-chamber and in opposite ends thereof t ere are the annular packing-rings U, set in recesses in the casing and capable of being pressed with greater or less force against the sides of the piston by means of screws U. The packing for the abutment, however, consists of two straight packing-stri s W, set in recesses on opposite sides of sai abutment, but passing between the shaft H andthe recess e, which strips are capable of being pressed with greater or less force against the sides of the abutment by said screws w.

Among the advantages of the construction it will be noted that so long as the engine is As will be seen from the develop-i running the piston, abutment, and cut-oil are rotating in one direction and at equal speeds, thus doing away with any reciprocating motion of any of said parts. The construction is easily assembled and taken apart, and everything is compact and durable.

If steam be admitted to the cut-off chamber, the volume which may enter the steamchamber of the engine may be controlled by the valves M and N through the one 0 erating-lever, or it may be shut off altoget er. When steam is admitted through port K, it is of necessity exhausted through port J. When the valves are turned so that steam is admitted through port K, the engine runs in the reverse direction and steam is necessarily exhausted through port J.

We claim 1. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing containing a cylindrical pistonchamber, a rotary piston, of smaller diameter located therein, a piston-blade secured thereto, there being two inlet-ports leading to one side of the annular space within said chamber around said piston, and two outlet-ports leading from the opposite side thereof, and said casing containing two cylindrical chambers with which said inlet and outlet orts respectively communicate, and there eing an inlet-port to one of said chambers and an outlet-port from the other, with two cylindrical valves which are mounted respectively in said chambers and are each provided with two ports, and mechanism connecting said valves whereby the Y may be rocked simultaneously, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing containing a cylindrical pistonchamber, a rotary piston therein having a iston-blade, and a movable abutment, there eing two inlet-ports through one end of said piston-chamber but on opposite sides of said abutment, and two exhaust-ports through the other end of said piston-chamber and on op osite sides of said abutment, an exhaustva ve chamber with which the two exhaustports connect, an inlet-valve chamber with which the two inlet-ports connect, a valve in each of said two chambers adapted to simultaneously open one of,the ports connected with it and to close the other port, connections between said two valves whereby they operate simultaneously, a cylindrical cut-offvalve chamber communicating with the inlet-valve chamber referred to, a rotary cutoff valve, and mechanism connecting said valve with the rotary piston, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casin which contains two intersecting cylindrica chambers of une ual diameter, a parallel cylindrical cut-off c amber adapted to be connected with the steam-supply, and two valve-chambers each having two ports connecting it to the larger of the intersecting chambers and one having an exhaustport and the other being connected with said out-off chamber, valves in said valve chambers to control and direct the How of steam through the ports which communicate with said larger chamber, with a rotary eut-ofi' valve in the cut-off chamber, a rotary iston carrying the blade in the larger of the intersecting chambers, a rotary abutment in the third chamber in peripheral contact with the piston and having a peripheral recess, and meehenisin connecting said three rots table elements, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing containing a eylindrieal piston-shamber, e rotary piston therein having apistonblznle, and a movable abutment, there being two inletsports to one end of said piston-recess and on opposite sides of said abutment and two exhaust-ports to the other end of said piston-chamber and on opposite sides of said abutment with a valve for controlling the passage of steam to either of said inletports at rotery eut-oll' controlling the flow ni' steam to said Valve, and meehanisni intermediets of said piston and cut-oil valve for opereting the latter, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

in testimony whereof we hereunto sffix our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

VILLIAM J. RONE. ABBA l1. \VITBECK. Witnesses E. L. Tnunsron B. W. Bnoonn'r'r. 

